The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-26


relief of Schenck and Miroy He drove Jack
from his camp; crossed the mountains,
fought the battle of Cross Keys, and just as the
army, flushed with victory, was anxious to
meet the enemy again, the order came from
Washington turn over the command OF the
troops to General Pope. an officer inferior In
rank and who had been division commander
under him in Missouri, and the Genera! ana his
sta all ordered to report for duty at the city OF
New York.
Thus was one of the bravest and most sincere
officers in the army forced from the service, and
| for other reason than ne hated human
slavery. and had the courage to give expression
| to his opinions He returned to New York and
was never afterwards, during the entire war,
given a command.
Tired and weary of this retirement when
every noble impulse prompted desire in the
breast of all brave men to be in the service, l.
a staff officer went to Washington to learn,
| if possible whether General Fremont would again
be ordered to the field. In my interview with
President Lincoln found him much in favor of
| giving the General another command. But
when saw Secretary Stanton, found him the
lion in the path. He declared that Fremont
should never have another command If he could
preventir The President would not go counter
to the war secretary's wish. and thus ended the
effort to again get to the field.
Looking back from the period of to-day. IS it
not strange that all this occurred Is there an
intelligent now, after the flight of all these
years. who does not know that the policy
adopted by General Fremont from the first was
the proper one upon which the war for the pres
eryation of the Union should have been wagedf
Two years were lost the Potomac in return
ing slaves to their masters-the very masters
who were seeking TO destroy the government; and
the slaves were kept in tie rear to produce what
was required to feed and clothe the rebel sol.
ders. After the two years thus uselessly spent
in returning the slaves to their masters. this
same Potomac army, and the authorities at
Washington and the West Point officers. en-
braced the proclaimed doctrine of General FIRE.
mont, and slaves were returned to their
masters, but were put to work within the lines
and at last enlisted in the army and did heroic
service in the field. When all this was done.
the Army of the Potomac started its march
to Richmond, but with the facility with which it
changed its opinion it changed also its base, and
Richmond was not taken until an officer who
had a command in Fremonts department n the
West took it,
Hence 1 conclude, as 1 have endeavored to
show in this article. that, had all the armies
called into the field by tho general government
at first adopted the policy pursued by General
Fremont, in the beginning of the Missouri cam
paign, the would have ended in much
shorter time than it did, and the lives OF thou
sands of brave men been saved
TERRE HAUTE, Dec. %. Il. n. HUDSON.
The Tariff Steel Rails.
To the Editor of the INDIANAPOLIS Journal:
The Journal very properly controverts Presi-
dent Cleveland's statement. in his recent annual
message, that whatever duty put articles
of import, the cost to the consumer is increased
by just the amount of such duty; and then per-
tinently asks, whether if the present tariff of
SIT per ton on steel rails were taken off we
should probably have them delivered to US in
this country at SIS per ton, the present price
being $32.
1t is not little surprising. and slightly hui
initiating to US, too, that our chief maeis trate,
in formal state paper, should make such
statement in the face of facts the contrary so
we'll established by many years of expert
ence But it doubtless has the intended effect
to make many believe that We annually
government collects on imports. In this con-
nection / wish to speak of article of
think it will not be claimed by those
familiar with the subject that We should prob
ably have any steel rail mills in this country IL
no duty had been imposed on imported steel
rails With this view. let how should
probably stand in relation to this matter
US steel rails, about fifteen years ago. the price
of foreign steel rails had never gone below 500
in gold ID per ton in New York The price in 1873
and 1874 ranged from Sl10 to 1925. Whether
not the price would have gone lower in these
later years, without home competition. is open
to conjecture only. But suppose foreign manu-
facturers had been kind enough to furnish them
to average say OF SO ton during
these Hast fifteen years; and suppose, too, we
during this period as we have built,
sending gold abroad for the rails at
the rate of s75 per ton, how then should
stand} According to Poor's supplement- to
his manual now have in the United States
150, 900 miles of railroads assume that
have used n new construction and in renewals
equivalent to one lay of ffty-eieht pound
rails entire mileage in tine last fifteen
years, amounting to over fourteen millions of
tons. costing, at SO ton, ond thousand
millions of dollars. With that sum of gold sent
out of our country should have occasion
for wrangng over full treasury, but should be
writhing under painful state of goneness.
Under our tariff steel rail mills have grown up
throughout our country, giving employment to
thousands of workmen and furnishing us with
rails at average, during the fifteen years, of
less than $50 per ton, saving to our country a
difference of over seven hundred millions Of dol
lars from the price we were paying for imported
rails before our home mills began to supply US,
keeping our gold at home and saving our coun-
try from utter bankruptcy.
The effect of our tariff of S17 per ton on steel
rails has not been to make pay that much
more for rails, but to enable US to buy them at
the present time at SO per ton less than we
were paying for them. Do .. SEE.
INDIANAPoLIs Dec. %
Outlining the Republican Policy.